Five people were killed and one person was injured in a shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati on Monday night, police said, in an attack investigators suspect stemmed from a dispute over the hotel’s lease. The leaseholder was arrested within an hour, and the pistol allegedly used in the shooting was seized.
What happened
The shooting happened at about 9 pm on Monday, 26 October, at Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area of Ulubari, on GS Road in Guwahati, police said. The hotel stands opposite Bora Service, about 2 km from the Assam Police headquarters.
Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta told reporters outside the hotel that six people sustained gunshot injuries. Five of them died, and one person remains under treatment.
“An unfortunate firing incident took place today. Six persons sustained gunshot wounds, of whom five succumbed to the injuries. One person is undergoing treatment,” Mahanta said.
Four of the victims were found dead at the scene, according to reports of the police account, while another injured person later died at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Post-mortem examinations of the five dead were under way at GMCH on Tuesday, hospital officials said.
Who the victims were
Police said all five people who died were associated with the hotel’s owner. Four of them belonged to the same family, and the fifth was from their village. The injured person is also from the same village, police said.
The dead include hotel owner Helena Bharali, her son, her son’s wife, her brother, and driver Narayan Das, according to police accounts reported on Tuesday. Some reports spell the family members’ first names differently, so this article names only the owner and the driver, whose names are consistent across the reports, and describes the other victims by their family relationship.
The loss has left two young children without their parents, a relative of the family told reporters, describing the attack as a cold-blooded murder and calling for a thorough investigation.
The accused and the suspected motive
The accused has been identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, the leaseholder of the property. Police said he was arrested within an hour of the shooting in the Paltan Bazar area of Guwahati.
A licensed .32-bore pistol believed to have been used in the shooting has been seized, and Gogoi is being interrogated, Mahanta said.
“The weapon used in the incident, a .32-bore licensed pistol, has been seized. Interrogation is underway, and preliminary investigation suggests that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of the hotel,” Mahanta said.
Police said Gogoi had taken the hotel on lease from Bharali and her family about a year ago. The family, originally from Barpeta, had moved to Guwahati nearly two decades ago to set up businesses, according to reports of the police account.
Mahanta said a scientific and thorough investigation is under way to establish the exact sequence of events, with further details expected on Tuesday.
The lone survivor
The lone survivor, Satyen Pathak, is stable in hospital and will remain there for a few more days for further tests, GMCH Superintendent Devajit Choudhury said on Tuesday.
Choudhury said the bullet passed through Pathak’s right hand without damaging any vital organs. Another hospital account described a through-and-through injury and said Pathak was being treated by the orthopaedics and surgery departments.
Political reaction
State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said the incident raises serious concerns about public safety and the law-and-order situation in Guwahati.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic firing incident at Ulubari Hotel Bilas Inn, Guwahati, in which five people have reportedly lost their lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” the Jorhat MP said in a social media post.
“This incident raises serious concerns about public safety and the law and order situation in Guwahati. As Chief Minister and Home Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma must take responsibility and pay more attention to rising crime,” he added, calling for a thorough enquiry and concrete measures to prevent such tragedies.
Why this matters
The shooting is striking not only for its death toll but for where it happened: a busy commercial stretch of GS Road, close to the state police headquarters, and between people who knew each other through a business arrangement rather than strangers. Police have stressed that the lease-dispute motive is preliminary, based on the early investigation, and that the full sequence of events is still being established.
For Guwahati, the case has already become a test of public confidence. A suspect was arrested quickly and the weapon recovered, but the questions that remain — exactly what triggered Monday night’s confrontation, and whether earlier warnings were missed — will only be answered by the investigation now under way.
Timeline
- About a year ago: Ghanakanta Gogoi takes Hotel Bilas Inn on lease from Helena Bharali’s family, according to police.
- Monday, 26 October, about 9 pm: Shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn, Bora Service area, GS Road, Guwahati. Six people are shot.
- Monday night, within an hour: Gogoi is arrested in Paltan Bazar; a licensed .32-bore pistol is seized.
- Monday night: Four victims are found dead at the scene; a fifth injured person later dies at GMCH; one survivor remains under treatment.
- Tuesday, 27 October: Post-mortems under way at GMCH; the survivor is reported stable; police say further details of the investigation are expected.
- Next: Police interrogation of the accused continues, and a scientific investigation is under way to establish the exact sequence of events.
What happens next
Police say interrogation of the accused is continuing and a scientific investigation is under way. Investigators are expected to share further details, including the findings of the post-mortem examinations and the formal charges, as the case progresses. The survivor’s condition will also be closely watched, as his account may help establish what happened inside the hotel on Monday night.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the Guwahati hotel shooting? Five people were killed and one person was injured, Guwahati police said. Six people sustained gunshot injuries in total.
Where did the shooting happen? At Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area of Ulubari, on GS Road in Guwahati, at about 9 pm on Monday, 26 October.
Who has been arrested? Ghanakanta Gogoi, the leaseholder of Hotel Bilas Inn, was arrested within an hour of the shooting in the Paltan Bazar area. Police seized a licensed .32-bore pistol allegedly used in the attack.
What is the suspected motive? Police say preliminary investigation suggests the shooting stemmed from a property dispute related to the hotel’s lease agreement between the owner and the leaseholder. The motive is still preliminary and under investigation.
Who were the victims? Police said all five dead were associated with the hotel’s owner. They include owner Helena Bharali, members of her family, and driver Narayan Das. Four of the five belonged to the same family.
What is the condition of the survivor? The lone survivor, Satyen Pathak, is stable in hospital at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and will remain there for a few more days for further tests, hospital officials said on Tuesday.
Related coverage
This is not the first shooting covered on this site: a shooting near Florida A&M University in Tallahassee left 12 people injured on a homecoming night, and a Paris suburb shooting earlier in October also drew a national response. Read more in the World section.